Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have responded to one of the 17+8 People's Demands, which calls for the release of demonstrators arrested during protests in the capital since August 25, 2025.

"We'll review it. Investigators are still working based on available evidence," said Jakarta Police spokesperson Commissioner Ade Ary Syam Indradi outside the Parliament Building in Jakarta on Friday, September 5, 2025.

Ade Ary explained that police distinguish between two groups in the recent wave of demonstrations. The first group consists of protesters, including workers, students, and ordinary citizens who were voicing their aspirations.

The second group, he said, involved individuals who did not express any aspirations but instead disrupted public order.

"This second group acted on calls spread through social media to incite unrest. They were the ones taken into custody," Ade Ary said. "So there are two different matters here: those who protest peacefully are facilitated, while those who cause disturbances are dealt with."

He added that before making arrests, officers had issued repeated warnings to prevent protesters from being swayed by incitement. "We delivered those warnings persuasively. When they went unheeded, enforcement followed," he said.

On Thursday night, September 4, 2025, Jakarta Police announced that investigators had identified 43 suspects linked to riots that broke out during the demonstrations. The figure has risen from 38 previously reported.

"These 43 suspects were apprehended across four crime scenes for alleged involvement in a series of anarchist acts," Ade Ary said at a press conference at Jakarta Police Headquarters.

Of the 43 suspects, 42 are adults and one is a minor under 18. Police have divided them into two clusters: six suspects accused of inciting people to join the demonstrations, all of whom have been detained, and others accused of vandalism, damaging property, and resisting officers.

So far, 38 of the suspects are in detention. One remains at large and is on the wanted list. One suspect has been detained by the Cyber Crime Directorate, while two others have been ordered to report regularly. The minor has not been detained due to age considerations.

– Nabiila Azzahra contributed to the writing of this article.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2046583/jakarta-police-justify-protester-detentions-amid-release-demand